Medicament for treating parkinson&#39;s disease

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the manufacture of a unit dose of a medicament for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protecting the neurons of patients suffering from Parkinson&#39;s disease. According to the invention, bee&#39;s venom is used in an amount of between 33 and 330 micrograms inclusive, for the manufacture of a unit dose for subcutaneous injection, every one to six weeks, of a medicament for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protecting the neurons of patients suffering from Parkinson&#39;s disease. The invention finds use in particular in the field of pharmacy.

The invention relates to the use of apamin or of bee venom in themanufacture of a medicament for restoring and/or for protecting neurons,and/or for long-term symptomatic treatment, in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is a disorder which affects the nerve cells, orneurons, in a part of the brain, the substantia nigra pars compacta,which controls muscle movement. In Parkinson's disease, the neurons,which produce dopamine, die or do not function normally.

However, it is, inter alia, the dopamine produced by the neurons whichsends the signals that make it possible to initiate and coordinatemovements.

The cause of the nerve cell damage is not known.

Parkinson's disease generally affects individuals approximately sixtyyears old, but can begin earlier.

Akinesia is the major symptom of Parkinson's disease. This symptom isdefined principally as being a problem with initiating movement, whichleads the patient to gradually decrease his or her motor activity. Forseveral authors, the term akinesia is used more broadly, and alsoincludes the decrease in amount of movement (hypokinesia), slowing downin the execution of movement (bradykinesia) and loss of the ability toexecute automatic movements. Thus, Parkinsonian patients exhibit acharacteristic increase in muscle tone (“cog-wheel” rigidity). Finally,resting tremors (4-8 Hz) are present in approximately ⅔ of cases. Whenthe symptoms become amplified, individuals suffering from Parkinson'sdisease have difficulty in walking, speaking or in performing simpletasks. They may also have depressive disorders, sleep disorders, andalso cognitive and dysautonomic disorders.

It is generally recognized that the symptoms of Parkinson's diseaseappear only when 50% of the nigral dopaminergic neurons are destroyed.In addition to these 50% of destroyed neurons, 15 to 20% are said to besilent, i.e. they remain morphologically intact but no longer producedopamine or produce very little dopamine.

The medicaments currently used make it possible only to relieve,admittedly considerably, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but do notmake it possible to stop the progression of the disease and even less torestore the function of the damaged neurons.

The medicaments currently used are principally L-dopa in its variousforms, and also dopaminergic antagonists. L-dopa is converted todopamine in dopaminergic neurons by dopa-decarboxylase. Thesemedicaments produce a variety of peripheral side effects, in particularhypotension and nausea. More serious is the fact that, after 5 to 10years of treatment, the pulsatility of the administration of thesemolecules in several intakes per day—in contrast with the constantrelease of physiological dopamine—induces motor fluctuations that aregenerally very incapacitating. Thus, it is important to note that thesemolecules act purely symptomatically and do not slow down thedegenerative process.

The invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the medicaments used inthe treatment of Parkinson's disease by proposing a medicament whichmakes it possible not only to protect the undamaged neurons, but also torestore the function of the “silent” neurons while at the same time notcausing the side effects due to the administration of L-dopa. Thus, inthe shorter term, the invention should make it possible to obtain along-lasting symptomatic effect.

To this effect, the invention proposes the use of apamin in an amount ofbetween 1 and 10 micrograms, limits included, in the manufacture of aunit dose for subcutaneous injection, every one to six weeks, of amedicament for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protectingthe neurons of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Apamin is an 18 amino acid peptide of sequence: CNCKAPETAL CARRCQQH (SEQID No. 1).

Apamin is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier.

It is also a blocker of SK3 sub-unit potassium channels, expressed bythe dopaminergic neurons of the mesencephalon.

The amount of apamin to be used for manufacturing a unit dose, to beinjected subcutaneously, of the medicament for relieving the symptomsand/or restoring and/or protecting the neurons of patients sufferingfrom Parkinson's disease, depends on the patient himself or herself, andin particular on the body weight thereof.

Thus, this amount is between 1 and 10 micrograms, preferably between 2and 5 micrograms, and more preferably between 3 and 3.5 micrograms.

The frequency of injection of this unit dose will also depend on thepatient and on the stage of the disease of said patient.

Thus, at the beginning of treatment, one injection every week isappropriate. Then, depending on the progression of the patient'scondition, the frequency of injections may be one injection every sixweeks.

In any event, this is a considerable advantage compared with L-dopa,which must be administered daily and several times a day.

In one preferred embodiment of the use of apamin in the manufacture of aunit dose, to be injected subcutaneously every one to six weeks, of amedicament for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protectingthe neurons of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, the apaminis contained in bee venom.

In other words, whole bee venom may be used to provide the desiredamount of apamin.

This is because bee venom is a well-controlled, natural product that isalready used therapeutically for the desensitization of individualsallergic to bee venom.

However, especially, bee venom contains apamin in an amount ofapproximately 3% by weight, relative to the total weight of the beevenom.

The composition of the venom of Apis mellifera, the common Europeandomestic bee, is reported in table I below:

TABLE I Percentage Class of relative to compounds Compounds dry weightEnzymes Phospholipase A2 10-12 Hyaluronidase 1-2 Acidphosphomonoesterase 1.0 α-D-glucosidase 0.6 Lysophospholipase 1.0Polypeptides Melittin 40-50 Melittin-F  0.01 Apamin 3   Mast celldegranulating 2   peptide Secapin 0.5 Tertiapin 0.1 Protease inhibitor —Procamine A and B 1.4 Low molecular Histamine 0.66-1.6  weight Dopamine0.13-1   compounds Noradrenaline 0.1-0.7

This composition may vary, slightly, from one species of bee to theother.

Thus, the invention also relates to the use of bee venom, in an amountof between 33 micrograms and 330 micrograms, for the manufacture of aunit dose, for subcutaneous injection every one to six weeks, of amedicament for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protectingthe neurons of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

In the same manner as for the use of apamin, the amount of bee venom tobe used in the manufacture of this unit dose will depend on the patientto be treated and in particular on the weight of said patient.

This amount of bee venom is generally between 33 micro-grams and 330micrograms, limits included, preferably between 66 micrograms and 165micrograms, most preferably from 100 to 110 micrograms, limits included.

The frequencies of injection of this unit dose are the same as for theunit dose containing apamin.

The invention will be understood more clearly and other advantages andcharacteristics thereof will emerge more clearly on reading thedescription which follows and which is given with reference to anonlimiting and purely illustrative example.

EXAMPLE

A patient weighing 82 kilos, at an advanced Parkinsonian stage (15 yearsof disease) was treated, following an allergic reaction to bee venom,with a monthly injection of 110 micrograms of bee venom.

Following each injection, the motor score as determined on the UnifiedParkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS III), improved by 70% in a fewhours and then allowed said patient to completely eliminate the L-dopatreatment being received, for two to four weeks.

In any event, during the two weeks following the injection and precedingthe next injection of bee venom, the treatment of said patient withL-dopa decreased by 50% compared with the period preceding the injectionof bee venom.

This shows that apamin has an activity that is both symptomatic andneuroprotective, but especially that it has a neurorestorative activityin Parkinson's disease. Of course, the unit dose containing apamin orbee venom can be used in combination with other therapies.

This unit dose of apamin or of bee venom may also be administered via aroute other than the subcutaneous route. However, for reasons ofavailability of the total amount administered, the subcutaneousinjection route remains preferred.

1. A unit dose, for subcutaneous injection, every one to six weeks, of amedicament for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protectingthe neurons of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease comprisingbee venom in an amount of between from 33 to 330 micrograms, limitsincluded.
 2. The unit dose as claimed in claim 1, wherein the amount ofbee venom is between 66 and 165 micrograms.
 3. The unit dose as claimedin claim 1, wherein the amount of bee venom is 110 micrograms.
 4. Amethod for relieving the symptoms and/or restoring and/or protecting theneurons of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease comprisingadministering, by subcutaneous injection, every one to six weeks, from33 to 330 micrograms, limits included, of bee venom.
 5. The method asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the amount of bee venom is between 66 and165 micrograms.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the amountof bee venom is 110 micrograms.